


puppy love

by nutaolla



Series: surviving in the city [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Depression, Dogs, Domestic, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Mentioned Byun Baekhyun, Mentioned Kim Jongin | Kai, Mentioned Kim Joonmyun | Suho, Mentioned Kim Minseok | Xiumin, Mentioned Lu Han, Mentioned Oh Sehun, Mentioned Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Mentioned Zhang Yi Xing | Lay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 05:31:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10802745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nutaolla/pseuds/nutaolla
Summary: kyungsoo takes a deep breath through his nose. “park chanyeol, i am going to look into that box, and if i see a dog, i will give you a three second head-start. i suggest you use those three seconds wisely.”“okay,” chanyeol giggles again.needless to say, chanyeol did not use those three seconds as kyungsoo had recommended.aka sometimes, kyungsoo has bad days, but that's okay because chanyeol always finds a way to make him feel better (warning: lapslock).





	puppy love

**Author's Note:**

> based on this beautiful gif:  
> http://38.media.tumblr.com/de0db6ea2816f02134dde0c2b4c88601/tumblr_inline_nm8xmaLTSl1t2ul8e.gif
> 
> (i reread this like 39439 times, but you might still find mistakes. that being said, i am so sorry.  
> also. the title is just as lame as the fic.  
> read at your own risk.)

kyungsoo is lying in bed, thick comforter thrown over his small body as he listens to the soft meditation playlist coming from his phone, which is somewhere in the sea of blankets on the bed. it’s one of those days where he just wants to sleep, and his wrists itch, and chanyeol is off doing his own thing in his studio, so he does the only thing he can do: drown himself in a million blankets and try to relax as much as he can.

he’s proud to say that he has been clean for a couple years (chanyeol has a calendar that marks the last time the metallic fingers clawed at his body, leaving behind bloody gashes to accompany the fading scars from other times the silver tiger had attacked), and he plans to keep it that way. but of course, he has his days.

his therapist, baekhyun, recommends music, yixing recommends meditating.

the parallel white lines that wrap around yixing’s already pale thighs has kyungsoo spending every thursday night with the chinese man, learning how to escape into his own mind and finding his happy place. (“music is also a good idea though, kyungsoo,” chanyeol whispers when kyungsoo explains his thoughts one night when they’re both in bed and exhausted, but chatty. “i’ll make you a playlist.”).

but recently, the meditating hasn’t been enough to keep the darkness and angst away from kyungsoo.

with yixing returning to china for his grandfather’s funeral (luhan having gone with him to support, despite his immense fear of heights), and junmyeon struggling with his own self-destructive habits, he has been on his own. kyungsoo knows that whilst he himself is also important to his friends too (years of therapy and reassurance from them has made it easier to admit to that), they are dealing with their own problems as well.

chanyeol has been rather busy recently too (kim jongdae is due for a comeback soon), locking himself up in his studio for hours into the night, even after returning from his other studio in the company he works at, and kyungsoo understands.

he understands, so he orders from their favorite indian place and settles down in chanyeol’s lap to feed him small bites from the spicy curry (kyungsoo is worried that he won’t eat otherwise), pressing his plump lips against chanyeol’s stained red, pouty ones when he whines about the burning on his tongue.

he understands, so he doesn’t press chanyeol for attention, however he does pull him away from the producing technology at least once every night to shoo him into the shower, letting chanyeol press him against the bath tiles, even as he grumbles about how he’s dressed in his pajamas already and doesn’t quite fancy another shower. he lets himself be wrestled out of his cotton soft shirt and boxers, large fingers splaying out against his pale thighs, parting them as the producer lifts his smaller partner and ducks them both under the hot stream of water.

he understands, so they don’t make love (because they’re both tired). but chanyeol does whisper just how beautiful he thinks kyungsoo is into his ear and prattles on about the song he’s currently writing and finishes it off with grumblings about how much of an asshole his boss, yifan, is.

he understands, so when they’re all clean and dry and dressed in their most comfiest pajamas, kyungsoo walks chanyeol back to his mini studio, kisses him goodnight and retreats back to their room, curling up on chanyeol’s side of the bed and inhaling the musky, “chanyeol” scent. he texts yifan to “fuck off” and goes to sleep with a smile on his face.

he understands, so even as his inner demons fight against each other, kyungsoo doesn’t admit to himself, or to anyone (especially not chanyeol) that he’s lonely and that he misses his partner.

he’s prepared to spend the rest of the day alone (last time he’d checked, it was about one o’clock in the afternoon), when he hears the front door unlocking, and he tenses. his music hadn’t been interrupted to alert him of an incoming text from chanyeol saying that he would be early, although he supposes that the producer didn’t have to text him about it, since he wasn’t even supposed to be home. perhaps that’s what compels him to stay put, as he listens to the shuffling getting closer and closer to the bedroom door, which is shut to completely shroud the room in darkness.

kyungsoo holds his breath, burrowing himself deeper under the covers and freezes when the door is cracked open, a sliver of light shining into the room, illuminating him and his sorrows etched on his face.

“oh, kyungsoo,” he hears a deep voice rumble, and that’s all it takes for kyungsoo to sit up and reach out towards the silhouette by the door, lower lip wobbling.

“ _chanyeol_.”

and chanyeol understands.

he understands, so he sweeps across the room to the bed and gathers the smaller man in his arms, letting him soak the front of his shirt with his salty tears, whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

he understands, so he shushes kyungsoo when apologies begin to tumble from his lips, voice thick with melancholy and lips slick with spit and tears. “there’s nothing to be sorry for, ‘soo,” he mumbles, pressing his face into kyungsoo’s thick, dark hair, before he pulls him into his lap, letting kyungsoo slot his thighs around his hips and rubs his thumbs into kyungsoo’s soft waist, feeling his heart breaking when kyungsoo shudders in his hold. “i should be sorry, i should have noticed, _i’m sorry_.”

he understands, so he does his best to hold the korean male in his arms together, even when he pulls away and tells him that he’s an idiot and repeats his initial reassurance that there’s nothing to apologize for.

“how did you know?” kyungsoo whispers afterwards, wide eyes rimmed red and puffy and vulnerable.

chanyeol cracks a watery grin, pressing a fluttering kiss to kyungsoo’s rose-tinted nose, his own eyes glassy with a sheen of his own tears. “minseok called.” at kyungsoo’s confused stare, he adds, “it was a lot of angry breathing at first and then sehun got on and started muttering about how he’ll be saying what minseok is signing and long story short, i’m a shitty person, and i should have noticed something was off.”

“i’m sorry,” kyungsoo whispers, letting his eyes slip shut as chanyeol wipes away the tears still staining his cheeks with the palms of his hands. “i wanted to tell you myself, but there never seemed to be a good time. so i just decided to… take a day off from work and see if that would help me feel better.” earlier that day, kyungsoo had dragged himself to the cafe he worked at with as much as enthusiasm as a cat drenched in water. the second he had stepped into his workplace, the sight of sehun dozing off against the broomstick, and minseok preparing a coffee behind the counter greeted him, and he knew that he should not stay. not in the way he is. minseok had taken one look at him, and immediately began berating him in his loud, lisped voice about how he shouldn’t have even thought about going to work and sent him straight home with a warm cheese danish in one hand and a hot cup of tea in the other. sehun had smiled sleepily and shyly said good-bye, wishing him a good day, without even once looking him in the eye. and with that kyungsoo had retraced his steps back to his and chanyeol’s apartment and shut himself in their room for the rest of the day.

“and did it?”

“not really, no.” a pout forms on kyungsoo’s face, leaning forward to rest his head on chanyeol’s warm shoulder. “i haven’t really moved from the bed. it’s comfy.”

chanyeol grins, hefting himself off the bed, a laugh escaping his lips when kyungsoo scrambles to hold on, badgering him about giving a warning beforehand. “i have a surprise,” he exclaims, excitedly, beginning to make his way out of the room with kyungsoo in his arms and his face tucked in the junction of his neck and shoulder, purposely jostling him, as he makes his way past the living room and into the kitchen. he grabs a bowl and a jug of water, handing the water to kyungsoo who takes it.

“chanyeol, no-” kyungsoo begins, already forgetting his earlier worries as he frets over what this surprise could be.

“it’s a good surprise this time, i promise,” chanyeol responds, cheerily, fixing kyungsoo’s position in his numbing arms (the chef may be small, but he’s definitely not the lightest), before shuffling to the living room.

“you said that last time too, and it was-”

“look, kyungsoo!”

kyungsoo lifts his head up from chanyeol’s shoulder, eyebrows furrowing when he sees the large box in the middle of the room in front of the sofa. the confusion clears as he hears a sniffling coming from inside, an emotion akin to frustration bubbling up within him, and he shifts a little to be put down, setting the jug of water on the floor, as he steps closer to the offending cube. “chanyeol, you did _not_ -”

chanyeol giggles.

kyungsoo takes a deep breath through his nose. “park chanyeol, i am going to look into that box, and if i see a dog, i will give you a three second head-start. i suggest you use those three seconds _wisely_.”

“okay,” chanyeol giggles again.

needless to say, chanyeol did not use those three seconds as kyungsoo had recommended.

-

kyungsoo sits on the stained sofa with his knees tucked to his chest, watching chanyeol play with the small beagle puppy, trying to fight the urge to laugh at the sight. the puppy obviously loves chanyeol, batting at his face with its tiny paws and nibbling at the fingers that reach out to pet him. it’s a rather cute, domestic image, and kyungsoo finally allows a heart-shaped smile to stretch on his lips.

“what are we gonna name him?” chanyeol asks, not once taking his eyes away from the multi-colored pup.

the smile drops from kyungsoo’s face. “we’re not keeping him.”

“but kyungsoo!” chanyeol whines, sitting up and pouting at the chef. “you’re lonely and a puppy is perfect! i talked to baekhyun! he says it’s a great idea.”

“i don’t care what baekhyun thinks. you’re allergic to dogs, chanyeol. i know my mental health is important, but your physical health is just as important, and we can’t keep a dog,” kyungsoo tries to reason, feeling his resolve wavering when the puppy clambers onto chanyeol’s lap, whose eyes are already starting to turn red, and begins gnawing on chanyeol’s thumb.

“i can take pills,” chanyeol argues stubbornly, sniffling and holding the puppy protectively in his lap. he wipes at his nose. “we’re keeping him. he’s small, he’s friendly, and i love him.”

kyungsoo takes another deep breath, holding it and counting to ten, before releasing it, mulling over the possibilities presented to him. it wouldn’t be that bad to have a puppy around. he remembers how jongin, one of his co-workers, would often babble about his three “kids” who made his life worth living. sehun calls him dramatic, jongin calls it family. perhaps he can make a son out of this beagle whom his partner seems to already be attached to, and besides, the way the puppy’s eyes drooped as he stares up at him is undoubtedly adorable. chanyeol did mention that he could take pills to keep himself healthy, and he's heard of people becoming immune to their allergies, so maybe it was okay to be selfish. “his name is bobo,” he decides, figuring that if chanyeol’s allergies get too bad, he’d be more firm about finding a new home.

the two puppies sitting on the floor perk up, before the bigger of the two grins, raising the beagle to the air and almost knocking the bowl of water over in his excitement (that kyungsoo can't help but laugh at). “my new son,” chanyeol cries, pressing a big kiss onto the puppy’s nose, chuckling heartily when ‘bobo’ sneezes in his face. he glances at kyungsoo, who is still perched on the sofa, watching the exchange with wide, adoring eyes. “ _our_ new son.”

and kyungsoo smiles, slipping down to take a seat beside his lover and new family member. “yes,” he whispers, leaning his head against chanyeol’s shoulder, feeling the peace that he’d been longing for earlier that day washing over him. “ _our_ new son.”

**Author's Note:**

> hello! this is the first work i am posting since around 2013? around there! i am very nervous ahahaha...
> 
> i have still kept writing throughout the years, i just stopped posting my works online because i ended up falling into a horrible writer's block that has lasted all this time. i still have writer's block tbh, but i am hoping that perhaps, if i begin posting my works again, it will help!
> 
> this is a whole au, and it is precious to me, as i have been working on the lives of these characters for a year now. i hope to expand on the other characters soon :0
> 
> anyways!  
> thank you so much for reading, i really appreciate it, and i hope you enjoyed this little blurb.
> 
> come talk chansoo (or anything) with me on my tumblr @ yixing4prez  
> (i haven't used that tumblr in ages rip. it seems i'm going back to a lot of old things today).


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